Commonwealth v. Wesley Lee Brooks; Violent Felon to Serve Over 26 Years for Stabbing Girlfriend to Death

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

​Colin D. Stolle, Commonwealth's Attorney for the city of Virginia Beach, announced today that Wesley Lee Brooks, 60 years old, formerly of the 500 block of Jonathon Court in Virginia Beach, Virginia, was sentenced today for Second Degree Murder. Circuit Court Judge H. Thomas Padrick Jr. sentenced Brooks to serve 26 years and one (1) month. This was the maximum sentence allowed under the plea agreement.

Brooks pled guilty on July 11, 2017. Had this matter gone to trial, the Commonwealth's evidence would have proven that on June 6, 2016, Brooks was with the victim, May Joyce Washington-Brown, who was his girlfriend. They visited friends in the late afternoon and drove back to their residence on Jonathon Court in the City of Virginia Beach. After getting home, Brooks attacked the victim, stabbing her repeatedly in the front and back torso with a kitchen knife.

A relative of the victim arrived at the home during the attack. He heard the victim screaming his name, entered the home, and saw the victim on her back on the living room floor. He saw Brooks on top of the victim repeatedly stabbing her with a knife. He struggled with Brooks to pull him off the victim. During the struggle, he was knocked to the floor, and Brooks walked out of the home, still carrying the knife.

The first officer on scene encountered Brooks in the doorway of the residence, still holding the knife. He then retreated inside, using the victim's relative as a human shield. The relative was able to free himself from Brooks and flee outside. Brooks eventually complied with police commands to drop the knife and was taken into custody without further incident. May Joyce Washington-Brown died as a result of multiple stab wounds to the torso.

Brooks has prior convictions for Aggravated Malicious Wounding, Malicious Wounding, Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony, and three (3) probation violations. Brooks is currently serving 11 years and eight (8) months for a Violation of Probation in Norfolk. The sentence he received today will run consecutive to the sentence imposed in Norfolk.